VOLUNTEERING IN THE SOCIETY

Introduction
Volunteering is a concept that is slowly getting acceptance in almost any developing society. The concept has gained political, social and economic recognition that it had in the previous decades (Rochester, 2012).  The concept itself has a wider meaning. However, for the scope of this paper it could be described as the process of rendering service either through choice or free will aimed at benefiting the wider community by an individual, group or institutions with no expectations of any
monetary gain whatsoever in return to the acknowledgement and appreciation to the volunteer. Volunteering has in many cases been applied and the outcome has been a strong, well developed and cohesive society (Rochester, 2012). Citizens have taken the role of volunteering to be of importance to them and are more than willing to volunteer. This paper expounds on my volunteering session at Trust Group Trading and Contracting W.L.L. The period of volunteering was 50 hours.
The Company
Trust Group Trad and Contracting W.L.L is a company that has been offering infrastructural development to international companies who are in need of a local representative company in Qatar. The company is located near Lulu hypermarket and is currently headed by Nasser Ahmad A S Al Hellabi as the chairman. The company is a conglomerate of trading companies such as real estate development companies, general contractors, and construction companies.
Coverage of the Volunteering Period
The period of volunteering was between 1st February, 2015 and 27th February, 2015. During each of the sessions the five hours were dedicated to performing various tasks that were on the ground.  During the period I was reporting to the site manager who was charged with the duty of manning the whole site operations. My core duty was to ensure that all the tasks that were to be accomplishing all the tasks that were assigned to me. I was to continuously keep reminding the workers in the construction site of the company regulations as well as ensure that all the safety legislations were adhered to.
Some of the moments were dedicated to holding small meetings with the workers and emphasizing on the advantages of having safety gear when handling any duty assigned to them. Where necessary, there were corrigible measures for workers who violated the regulations as per the agreement between them and the site manager. I was also to ensure that when there was any operation at the time when I was in, I attended to them carefully as assigned. Some of these operations included production control to ensure that only the required amount of materials was generated. This ensured that the raw materials that went to waste were minimized as possible. When the materials were being brought in it was my duty to ensure that they were up to the desirable standards. This meant that my other role was to act as the quality assurance officer at the site.
All the contractors, subcontractors, and the employees both skilled and semiskilled were under my supervision. In case there was any abrupt decision that needed to be made it was also my duty to inform the project manager for effective address of the status quo. For example, if there was shortage of materials, it was my duty to inquire why there is and what needs to be done. After that I was to report to the manager for necessary measures.
 Whenever there were client progress meetings and the manager was busy, I would attend the meetings upon request. I also kept track of the construction schedule to ensure that all tasks went smoothly. This was taken by taking the daily log of the workers at the site and assigning each their duty. This duty was already designed by the task manager and the various stakeholders involved in planning. Whenever there were resource planning meetings I was also in attendance so as to help in making construction schedule. Because there were also trade persons in the site, it was also my duty to supervise and offer them directions if need arose to do so. One emphasis was the importance of teamwork.  During the period I was also able to try out some areas of expertise and assist so as to get the real experience on how things are done.
Benefits of the Volunteering to the company
The first hand experience I got from the company made me realize the importance of volunteering not only in the development of the community but also my own good as an individual. First off, through interaction with various individuals who were given different roles, my interpersonal skills were increased.  One has to be a good communicator to be a site supervisor being that there is the direct and indirect communication that takes place in the construction site. I also gained the ability to stick to schedules and meet deadlines effectively. Based on the idea of planning, I was actually able to combine the efforts of the team to ensure that all that was planned was achieved in time.
Thirdly, I was able to appreciate the role of teamwork through working with people from diversified backgrounds. I was also able to experience firsthand the experience of site supervisor and appreciate the challenges. I was also able to apply my classroom knowledge in making the whole process a success. I also learnt a variety of things not tackled in class that are for personal development.
Through service provision during the five hour slots I got the opportunity to explore various career paths, develop leadership skills, networked with different professional and strengthened the economic pillar of the society through development. I also fulfilled my dream of contributing to the society. This in a way I can confidently say strengthened my self esteem and self worth. Through all the transactions one thing became eminent, transparency in transactions maintains a good customer base.
Challenges during the Volunteering Period
Site supervision is a very hard task to carry out effectively. The first challenge was fitting in with the work conditions at the site. There were so many people from various backgrounds and it took me time to completely integrate. There must be accuracy and precision when undertaking all the duties assigned to me. In case there was a small error the whole operations of that day would be affected.
The second challenge during the period was how to keep time so that the volunteering period is not affected by personal matters. The trainings on workers safety were tiring since there was the inclusion of demonstrations and lectures. The illiterate lot that happens to be employed in the firm had to be made aware at all costs even if it meant translations. Maintaining the discipline of undertaking all the tasks assigned without being paid really tested my patience and discipline. Despite the fact that I was not being remunerated, I had the uphill task of performing to my best. Some employees were arrogant and failure to properly understand and integrate to them often led to quarrels in the workplace. I had to spend time doing more research on how to improve the conditions in the sites. Some of these included waste management and reduction practices, safety and occupation health of the workers as well as the knowledge of the employees of all the hazards likely to come in contact with them.
Completing the duties in time and planning a day ahead was tiresome, especially considering the fact that most of the work ended up late. When there was delay of materials, the whole project had to pull to a halt leading to breach of the set schedule. Some of the technologies used at the sites were so cumbersome to learn how to use. It took me a considerable amount of time to actually understand their use and mode of operation. The recognition by the company through the certificate is a boost to all my endeavors. This will not only build my reputation but my curriculum vitae as well, expanding my future career success.
Recommendations
Volunteering is usually avoided by most students because they are not sure of the benefits they are likely to get. Students should actually be taught the role and importance of volunteering at individual and societal levels. During the volunteering period students should work in teams that ensure that they are intermingling with every employee regardless of their job. If there is more need to expose the students to different career paths, they should be encouraged to volunteer. This could be done through making them aware of the potential firms that are open to such. The students should also be well groomed with the skills and overview of what to expect at the end of that period.
Conclusion
As can be seen from the report there is plethora of advantages why people at any level should volunteer. Over my period at Trust Group Trad and Contracting W.L.L I learnt a lot and acknowledge all those who were there to assist me. There are also some few challenges that I met when volunteering to the company. There are also recommendations that would possibly form a basis for those yet to make such a decision of volunteering.




Bibliography
Rochester, C. (2012). Volunteering and society in the 21st century. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.